Lyrical Girls S
by Kode Dekka
Summary: Finally reaching resolution, the red threads of fate intertwine and ensnare the shy blond and the kind brunette. Having reached the end, its time for everyone to obtain the happily ever after that they've all worked and suffered so hard for. Rated T.
1. Chapter 1

_A/N: I'm on a roll, the new story is here already! As promised, this will be the end of the trilogy (with the exception of the epilogue story called Lyrical/After which comes later). All remaining threads will be resolved, mainly the NanoFate subplot, which has been drawn out for far too long. I also plan on introducing some more characters, and surprises, hopefully many that will make my readers happy. Anyway, this chapter is the intro, and it is a little shorter than normal, but it sets the tone for this story well, gone is the darkness and depression, bring the romance and comedy. of course, there will be angst, it wouldn't be my story if I let everyone off easy, ya gotta earn your happy ending after all. But, without further delay, enjoy the final installment in the Lyrical Girls trilogy. _

_- Kode-Dekka_

_P.S. Admittedly, I don't know a lot about the Japanese school system, so just assume this takes place in unknown city X, in unknown country Y, which just so happens to be a lot like Japan.  
_

* * *

_Our story had a wonderful beginning_

_Our story suffered a sorrowful middle_

_And now our story has reached its climax_

_So, together with you, let us find it_

_the happy ending_

**

* * *

Lyrical Girls S**

**Kode-Dekka**

**Chapter I**

* * *

Life is wonderful, truly it is. Winter break was staring tomorrow, Christmas and New Years was on its way. Finally, I'll have an opportunity to unwind and recharge myself; not to mention that I'll be able to spend more time with Fate, which was what was really important.

On that subject, I still didn't know what I was going to do about my feelings for her, or hers for me. Ever since that night when she confessed and kissed me – thinking that I was asleep – she hasn't done anything like that again; well, sometimes when we have sleepovers, I can feel her eyes on me, but nothing else, its both pleasant and unsettling.

_What should I do...?_ There were very few people that I could talk to about this, I still wasn't exactly comfortable with the fact that I liked a girl; or rather, my feelings were so intense that it was starting to get a little daunting thinking about it. _Maybe I should ask Natsume-chan for advice._ To my knowledge, she was the only person I knew - besides Fate – that had expressed feelings toward another girl.

Thinking about it more carefully, I realized that in one way or another, all my friends had experienced the whole Natsume event, so its not like they wouldn't understand my plight. _Alright, I'll do it tomorrow! _It was decided, tomorrow I would consult them about what to do. With that worry cleared away, I felt myself drifting off to sleep, with thoughts of Fate dancing in my head.

* * *

After the closing ceremony, I asked Fate to go on ahead and wait at the school gates, that I had something I wanted to discuss with the others. Not wanting her to feel lonely, Hayate and Vita joined the blond, leaving me with the other three.

"What's up? Normally you can't stand to be away from Fate for a second." Hearing the mocking tone of Alisa's voice was welcome, it seems like she finally put everything behind her. Still, even though what she said was true, I didn't enjoy hearing it.

"It is about Fate-chan, right?" Natsume also joined in, using a preemptive strike that worked, I lowered my shoulders in surrender and sighed.

"This might come a shock, but... I like Fate-chan, and I don't know what to do." The three of them stared blankly at me, and then they erupted into a fit of giggles. "H-Hey, what's so funny?"

"Oh come on," Alisa wiped the tears forming on her eyes, "Anyone with a pair of eyes could see that you like her, did you just figure it out?" This was not going as I expected, and to fit my disappointment, I puffed out my cheeks as they laughed some more.

"Mou, its not that funny!"

"Now now, everyone stop being mean to Nanoha-chan." So Suzuka said, even though she was barely holding back her own laugh.

Once they calmed down, I asked them again what I should do about this, to which Natsume gave the appropriate response that I expected from her.

"Just confess to her already, its obvious that she likes you too." That was no help at all, especially when I relayed to them the fact that I already knew her feelings. "So what is the problem then? I don't get it, what are you waiting for, Nanoha-chan?"

"I don't know..." But I had a nagging suspicion that wasn't true. "I think... I don't want to risk things going badly, and having Fate-chan hate me." Natsume's eyes sparkled with nostalgia.

"Ah, that's no good." She walked up to me, flicking me in the forehead, and then patting my head. "Keeping your feelings inside because you're scared does nothing but leave you with regrets, you can trust me on that one, since I'm the poster girl for such stupid things." The redhead glanced at Alisa, who blushed and looked away, causing her grin, remembering the kiss she stole. "Anyway, I say go for it, I'll support ya all the way."

Feeling left out, my other friends chimed in. "Don't count us out, we'll help ya."

And before I could object to whatever they had in mind, Natsume made a sinister giggle. "Leave it all to us, by the time we're done, you'll have a confession so wonderful that Fate wont be able to say no." While I appreciated her help, I didn't exactly like the way she sounded.

We were done talking for now, so we finished this and hurried to meet the others. My heart sped up as we walked, I didn't know what was going to happen in the future, but even so, I was ready to face it now.

* * *

"Come on come on, spill it, you like her right?" As soon as Fate, Vita and Hayate were alone, the chocolate haired girl started badgering the blond, who looked like a tomato by now. "Well? You like Nanoha-chan right?"

"Geez Hayate, leave the poor girl alone." This only made Hayate grin at her.

"What's the matter Vita-chan, feeling jealous that I'm paying more attention to her?"

"O-Of course not, idiot!" Now that she had embarrassed her favorite plaything, Hayate focused on Fate again, looking at her with sparkling eyes full of anticipation.

"I see the way you look at her, there's no use denying the unshakable truth, Fate-chan!" Blushing even more, Fate looked at her feet.

"Okay... I-I love Nanoha..." As expected from a girl who loved to meddle in the affairs of others, Hayate let out a squeal of joy.

"You said "love", how bold of you, kyaaa!" If she didn't still need crutches to walk, Hayate would have glomped the girl right there and then. "You're in luck today, Fate-chan; I, Hayate Yagami, master of love will bestow her favor on you." She earned herself a smirk and a laugh from Vita.

"You're a master, even though you haven't gone out with someone yourself?" Red crawled across Hayate's face, but she ignored the small girls' words.

"Don't listen to the non-believer, I shall without fail, help you realize your love!"

"B-But, Nanoha doesn't..." Hayate shook her head.

"Are you blind? Its obvious that she has the hots for ya, have some confidence in yourself." Even though it shouldn't have been possible, Fate's blush actually got worse. "Leave it all to Hayate-sama, I'll make all your dreams come true, Fate-chan."

Not wanting to keep this conversation going, and see that the others were approaching, Fate could do nothing but nod, earning a happy laugh from Hayate.

Eventually, as Fate's other friends got closer, she saw that Nanoha was looking at her, her eyes lit with happiness. The blond's blush remained, and she offered a smile to the approaching girl, who started to walk faster, smiling broadly back at her.

With each second, as the distance between them shrunk, Fate felt her heart beat just a little faster.


	2. Chapter 2

_A/N: I've decided on a new way of writing that makes it easier and faster for me to update. Shorter chapters, which develop the characters and plot, like this chapter will be doing. Because this story will be for the most part, the last one, I will be developing everyone, from Nanoha and Fate, to Lindy Harlaown and even Suzuka as well, so shorter chapters work because then I don't burn out. Anyway I've done this sort of thing before, but enjoy this nice little parallel between Nanoha and Fate, who both want to have the best Christmas ever with the person they love. _

_- Kode-Dekka_

**

* * *

Lyrical Girls S**

**Chapter II**

_

* * *

They'll help me out, huh?_ I relaxed myself in the bath, staring out into space. I didn't know what kind of "help" my friends had in mind, but I was sure it was going to be something incredibly embarrassing. Regardless, it was too late to decline now; no matter, what I wouldn't be left alone by them.

"Thank goodness..." I sighed in relief, smiling so myself. I was sure that they would think it was weird to like Fate, and even though I expected Natsume to understand, I didn't expect everyone to be so supportive, it was a huge burden to be lifted from my shoulders. Now I didn't have to worry anymore, at least not about acceptance from my friends; what the people at school would think is another matter, but I didn't have to think about that now.

My thoughts shifted to Fate. _How should I tell her?_ Right now I'm just tiptoeing around my feelings. I know I should tell her right away, to end all of this foolishness, but I'm still hesitating anyway. _As I thought, I..._ I was still scared it seems, because this would change everything. If Fate and I didn't work out, I wasn't sure if things could go back to how they were, and that scared me to death.

_I really do love her, maybe that's why it hurts so much..._ I was starting to get depressed and I didn't like that, so I slapped my cheeks lightly and calmed my thoughts. There was something more important to think about now, Christmas was coming up after all.

_Wait... Christmas... oh crap! _I had completely forgotten, I still didn't have a present for Fate. "Ah! What am I gonna do!" Immediately I got out the bath and scrambled to dry myself off, dashing out and about, back into my room with lightning speed. I had to think of something, Christmas was in a week, and I needed to have a spectacular present for Fate by then, to celebrate our first Christmas together.

I definitely couldn't fail, I would give Fate the best present ever, even if it killed me.

* * *

"Ah, what should I do...?" Fate flipped through the pages of a magazine, looking at clothes, accessories, and various other things. "What should I give her?" Since their first Christmas was coming up, she wanted to give Nanoha something amazing. "This is a lot harder than I thought..." She mused, completely dumbstruck.

In the first place, she had a little money, but not nearly enough to buy any of the things that she was looking at. Her eyes also settled on something nice, a pair of friendship rings. They were beautiful, but... "Arggg I can't afford something like that!"

Someone knocked on her door, which made her shut the magazine right away, hiding it under her pillow. "Fate-dear, the bath is ready."

She walked up to the door, opening it to find Lindy. An idea popped into her head. "Lindy-san, can I talk to you about something?" As her cheeks lit up like fire, The older women motioned her back inside the room, and they sat beside each other on the bed.

A silence passed between them as Fate gathered her courage. "Lindy-san, please don't think I'm weird..."

"What's the matter honey?" Looking at her adoptive mother with insecure eyes, she confessed to everything.

"I-I'm in love with Nanoha, Lindy-san."

"Oh my." Lindy's response, while that of surprise, was not disapproving, and she immediately made sure to clarify that. "I think that's rather sweet, but feel free to ask me questions if you are confused about anything." Fate nodded, grabbing onto the woman's sleeve, her eyes becoming wet with tears of gratitude.

"I want to tell her, but I'm so scared, I don't want her to hate me."

"Oh honey..." Lindy wrapped an arm around the girl's shoulder, pulling her close. "When you're young, things like romance can seem quite daunting; however, I think its important to always follow your heart, even if your scared; and if you want to be careful and hold back, that's fine too, there's no shame in that." Lindy kissed Fate's forehead, and ran a hand through her hair. "Whatever you want to do, I'll always support you, remember that."

Fate nodded, and wiped her eyes. "Thank you, Lindy-san." A bright smile formed on her face, and now that her mind was clear, she decided to get what she was seeking. "I want to give her something for Christmas, but I'm lost, because I want to give her something nice."

"I see.' Lindy rubbed her chin in thought, and then snapped her fingers. "I think if its Nanoha-chan, she'll be happy with whatever you give her, even if its just a simple piece of candy, because its coming from you. Its the thought that counts, Fate-chan." Fate's face flushed some more, and she nodded.

"Still, I want it to be special, I want..." She thought about the rings, "I want it to be forever, even if everything changes..." In response, Lindy patted her head, rising from the bed.

"Well, if its that important to you, then why don't you get a part-time job, your at that age. And, working hard for something only makes it that much more special." Lindy then let out a small sound of surprise. "I forgot all about the bath, the water is probably a little cold by now, I'll go set it up again for you." Fate nodded, and the women left her alone to her thoughts.

_A part-time job..._ If she wanted those rings, if she wanted to make this Christmas special, then she knew she was going to need money, and that was the only solution. "Okay... I'll do it!" Becoming determined, Fate decided that tomorrow, she was going to look for a job, and no matter what, she was going to make this Christmas more special, even if it killed her.


	3. Chapter 3

_A/N: Another chapter, because I've become addicted to writing. With this, I'm as far as I planned out, so now I have some more planning to do. Anyway, I wont say anything else, enjoy. _

_- Kode-Dekka  
_

_

* * *

I really want to tell you  
Just how precious you are to me,  
My every thought of you is as loving as can be  
My heart is totally filled with things  
That words alone can't say,  
This comes especially for you  
With love on Christmas Day. _

**- Anonymous**

**

* * *

Lyrical Girls S**

**III**

* * *

Fate has been acting very strange, and has been avoiding me for the past two days. Its been awhile since she did this, it was a little surprising, also a little depressing. Ever since school ended, we've talked, but we haven't been able to hang out. She says she been busy with something, but she wont tell me what it is, so now I'm feeling very anxious.

I knew it was silly to be like this, she was free to do whatever she wanted, she didn't have to explain herself. Still, I wanted to see her, I wanted to spend as much time with her as possible, my heart desired her attention more than anything else. To put it bluntly, I was addicted to her.

And Christmas was just a few days away; everyone was going to meet up, have fun and then go back to Hayate's house for a party. However, even though Fate said she'd be going, I was feeling nervous.

_Did I do something wrong? _ If Fate was avoiding me, it had to be my fault, I must have done something to make her angry. My morale was taking a bit of a dive, which wasn't helping my search for a present to give her. I already had everyone's gifts, but not hers, I wanted to give her something extra special, but was at a loss of what that would be.

_What am I going to do with myself? _

* * *

"A part-time job?" Alisa questioned, hearing it from Fate after being called by the girl. "Ah, so that's why Nanoha's been so depressed, she thinks you're avoiding her."

"N-No, I just don't want her to find out, I want it to be a surprise." Alisa sighed, and if Fate could see her, she would see the girl face palming.

"Honestly, you two are so much trouble. Anyway, even though its pretty obvious by now, I feel like I should ask anyway; do you like Nanoha?"

"E-E-Eh!" Fate nearly dropped her phone, but quickly recovered. "I-I-I..."

"I'll just take that as a yes, don't worry, I don't plan on telling her, that's your job."

"..." Fate didn't respond to that, and instead thought deeply. She wanted to tell Nanoha everything but...

_Can I really do it...? _She was a coward, always running away, so she was unsure if she would be able to confess to Nanoha.

"Fate I know what you're thinking, and I wouldn't worry so much about it. Even if she doesn't feel the same, its not like she'll hate ya or anything, she's not that type of girl." Fate knew this, she knew that Nanoha was that kind, and wonderful, still her heart shook at the prospect of confessing. "Anyway, don't worry and just do whatever you want, we'll handle the rest." Before Fate could ask her what she meant by that, Alisa bid her goodnight and hung up.

Not sure what else to do, she picked up the magazine with the friendship rings, and looked at them again. _Just a few more days, so forgive me, Nanoha..._

* * *

At last, Christmas was here, and to compliment the day, it was snowing. It was time for the meet up, and I was on my way to the location that we agreed on. I also managed to figure out what I wanted to give Fate, a pair of pink ribbons I've had since I was a child; they have a lot of sentimental value for me, and its like giving away a piece of myself; I think its perfect, but I just hope that Fate likes them.

I tread through the snow, holding the wrapped up present close to my heart, praying that this will be enough.

When I got to the place, no one was there yet, and I leaned up against a tree, waiting...

Ten minutes passed, and no one came...

Twenty minutes after the arranged time, and still no one was here, not even Fate...

When an half hour passed, my cell phone started to buzz. I checked it and found a text from Alisa, one that made my heart sink.

"_Sorry, a lot of things came up and none of us can make it. Anyway, have a good time with Fate, and don't stay out too late._

_- Alisa"_

Even though no one was coming, and Fate seemed to have forgotten, I continued to wait for her, even as the snow started to pile up on my shoulders...

_

* * *

This isn't good!_ Fate was practically jumping up and down, running in place, waiting for the cashier to ring up her purchase. With a lot of work she only just managed to get the money together, and now she was buying the rings. As she waited, thinking about how late she was, the cell phone that Lindy bought her started ringing. She dug in her pockets, finding a text message, her eyes widened as she read it.

"_Sorry, no one can make it. Have a good time with Nanoha-chan, and don't do anything too bold ~wink~_

_- Natsume"_

Right away, Fate grasped the meaning of the message. _Nanoha is all alone right now!_

As soon as the cashier was finished, she practically snatched the box containing the rings and made a dash out the door. _Nanoha, I'm on my way, please just wait a little longer..._

* * *

I felt terrible, and my heart was being swallowed by darkness. _Maybe... she's not coming. _It made sense, she avoided me for a week, even I could read between the lines. _I'm sorry Fate-chan, whatever I did, I'm sorry..._

I sat down against the tree, holding my knees against my chest, ignoring all the stares I was getting.

_What am I doing? _I probably looked stupid right now, and my face felt wet, I think I was crying. _I'm so stupid..._ I gave up, it was obvious that she wasn't coming. I would apologize to her tomorrow, for whatever I did, and hope she forgave me.

I raised my head and prepared to get up, and through my blurry, tear-stained vision I saw the person I've been wanting to meet the most.

"Hah... hah... hah... Nanoha..." Fate was there in front of me, breathing like she had just run a marathon. She looked at me carefully, and I think she realized that I was crying, because she was apologizing, and trying to wipe away my tears.

"Fate-chan..." I grabbed her arms, just to make sure, I didn't want this to be some hypothermia induced hallucination.

"I'm here Nanoha, I'm sorry for being late." Now that I knew it was her, I dove into her.

"Fate-chan! I was so worried, I thought you weren't coming, I thought you hated me!" She pulled me close, and whispered in my ear: _"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry..." _

Right now, I didn't care if people stared at us, or say rude things, I felt so relieved, so happy, I could die. Fate was here with me, and nothing else mattered.

* * *

The two of us held hands as we walked through the city streets. It felt so warm, I didn't even mind the silence, this right now was all I needed. Fate was leading me somewhere, I was wasn't exactly sure where, she just said that she wanted to go somewhere quiet.

That place happened to be the riverside, which separated us from another city across. We sat down on a bench, where the silence remained for a moment, before Fate turned to me, looking more determined than I've ever seen her.

"Nanoha..." She retrieved something from her pocket, a small box. When she opened it, I was so amazed that I couldn't' speak. There were two silver rings, both were beautiful, and looked expensive. "I wasn't avoiding you..." Fate said, her cheeks red. "I... I just wanted to get you something special, so I got a part-time job, that's why..." I understood now, the reason why she hasn't spent time with me, and it made my heart melt with both joy and guilt.

"Fate-chan, that looks so expensive, I can't possibly..." She shook her head, picking one of them up, ignoring me, whispering: _"please take it..."_ The guilt inside me grew, even more so as she gripped my hand, and slipped the ring onto my ring finger. My face flushed, I knew she probably didn't understand what that meant, but because I did it was embarrassing.

"It looks really good on you, Nanoha..." She was blushing even harder now, looking at the other ring, and I knew what she wanted me to do. I hesitated, thinking about my present again; however when I saw her eyes, the gentleness of them, I couldn't resist anymore. I took the silver wonder, and just like she did for me, I put it on her ring finger, ignoring the symbolism of doing so.

For the moment, because we were still holding hands, I forgot about my own present. Feeling awful about it, I revealed it to her. She opened the wrapping and found the ribbons. "They're my favorite ribbons, I-I know its not a very good present, especially-" Fate placed her finger on my lips, a few tears coming to her eyes.

"Its perfect. Besides that, just having you with me is enough, its more than enough, that's why, don't say that..." I was surprised by her words, and couldn't help but smile. Unexpectedly, Fate just started crying all of a sudden, and grabbed hold of me. "I can't stand it anymore... I... I..."

"F-Fate-chan, what's wrong?" Again she looked at me, I attempted to say something else, but I was cut off by her lips, which pressed against mine.

Soft, warm, and salty, that's how it felt when she kissed me. _Fate-chan is... we're kissing..._ Even though I already knew how she felt, I didn't expect this, I had no idea that Fate could be so aggressive. But I soon relaxed, and was going to start kissing her back, but she pulled away, and immediately started to panic.

"N-Nanoha, I'm so sorry, I-I-" This time I kissed her to stop her from apologizing. In the moment before I closed my eyes, I could see hers widen.

Time slowed down for us, and soon the tense feeling went away; when it did, we embraced, and didn't hold back anymore. For minutes, but possibly an eternity, we kissed, our lips pushed and parted, our tongues danced and played, it was amazing, so wonderful I couldn't describe it.

When we backed away, both our faces were as red as Fate's eyes. The moment was right, I knew there was only one thing to say. "I-I... I love you, Fate-chan." She looked like she could start crying again, but wiped the tears away before they could start, nodding.

"M-Me too, Nanoha. I love you too..." And then, once more, the two of us kissed, not as friends this time, but as lovers.

* * *

"_Awww, they're soooo cute~!" _Natsume and Hayate sung in unison. Vita and Alisa face palmed behind them, and Suzuka giggled. The five of them had been watching Nanoha and Fate since the beginning. They saw Nanoha as she started to despair, they saw the meeting, the exchange of rings, and the confession and kisses.

"C-Come on, lets go." Alisa said, grabbing Natsume's collar, Vita did similarly to Hayate.

"Awww, we want to watch~!"

"Just leave them alone, they need their privacy."

"Even though you were the one who suggested we keep an eye on them.

S-Shut up!"

And so, the two eccentric and slightly perverted girls, along with the others, headed to Hayate's house, ready to celebrate the birth of a new pair of lovers.


	4. Chapter 4

_A/N: Lol, this chapter should be called "unresolved sexual tension". But really, I have decided to add a nice subplot to the current Nanoha and Fate relationship. Since it would be spoilers if I said anymore, I shall leave you with the chapter. Enjoy. _

_- Kode-Dekka  
_

**

* * *

Lyrical Girls S**

**IV**

* * *

In the days leading up to New Years, Fate and I found that we had a real problem on our hands; we just couldn't keep our hands off each other anymore. Ever since we confessed to each other on Christmas and started going out, our lips have been more connected than not, or so it seemed that way to everyone else. Alisa was even quoted to have said: "its getting to be too much, show a little restraint!"

Now, I would like to be able to hold back, but it was impossible now, the switch of desire in my body had been flipped. That didn't mean that Fate and I were going beyond kissing, it just meant that I couldn't stand to go an hour without the touch of her lips.

Of course, the two of us weren't the only ones with problems; as it turns out, Natsume and Hayate have been acting very strange as of late. I don't know what happened on Christmas, but from what I was told, the two of them haven't really spoken much since, despite being very friendly before.

Concerned, I decided to call her the day before New Years Eve.

"Ah, Nanoha-chan! Its rare for you to call me, what's up?"

"Actually Natsume-chan, its about you and Hayate-chan, you two have been really weird lately. Did something happen?" I heard a soft sigh on the other end, and then a nervous laugh.

"Everyone's been so nosy about that. Its not really something you guys should worry about, but I wont say that nothing happened..." Her voice was strange, cautious, and also a little sad. "...Anyway, just don't worry, I'll handle it by tomorrow, and then we can all have a blast at my house!" She giggled with enthusiasm, which told me the conversation was over and not to press any further.

"Okay, I look forward to it, I'll make sure to tell Fate-chan where we're going."

"Hehe~, are you sure? This is your chance to enter the new year with a bang, Nanoha-chan~." My face became scarlet, and I gripped the phone tightly.

"M-Mou, you're such a pervert, Natsume-chan! Goodnight!" Without waiting for her to respond I hung up, and released a heavy sigh before flopping on my back. I repeated what Natsume said in my mind over and over again, before shutting out the embarrassing thoughts.

_I can't get carried away... my heart isn't ready for such a leap yet! _ And yet despite that thought, I could not stop the deliriously tempting image of Fate from festering in my head. I felt the steam coming from my ears, and curled up into my bed, allowing myself a tiny smile.

"Stupid Natsume-chan..."

_

* * *

December 25, 5 days ago..._

"Ahhh! Its about time those two got together, now my Christmas is complete!" Natsume mused on the way to Hayate's house. The brown-haired girl agreed, flashing her a wide grin.

"Now all that's left is to tease them about it later." Once again she was whacked on the head by Vita, who shook her head.

"Seriously, you guys are like twins, its idiotic."

"Oh don't be like that Vita-chan~!" Playfully, Natsume and Hayate reassured the girl by petting her head, which only made her more furious.

"All of you are idiots, I swear..." Alisa again face palmed, she's lost count of how many times its been. Suzuka just released the same old happy laughter.

* * *

When they got to Hayate's house, the girl revealed a surprise for them – well, two surprises. The first was a lavish dinner prepared by Signum and Shamal. And while they all enjoyed the glorious food, the last member of the Yagami family, Zafira, was unfortunately stuck at work, and could only despair at his circumstances.

The second surprise was something that had to wait until they were all away from adult supervision. From under the bed that she and Vita shared, Hayate pulled a bottle of wine, very nice wine, rich with alcoholic properties.

"H-How did you get that!" Vita questioned, wondering why she never noticed. Hayate simple gave her a simple "tsk tsk tsk" and clicked her tongue.

"My dear Vita-chan, there are many things you don't know about me; as it happens I am a master of persuasion and-"

"Shamal got you it, didn't she?" The girl froze mid-speech, which let Vita know that her guess was right. "Seriously, what is she thinking...?"

"Now now, don't be such a prude, let us all enjoy this together~!"

Right away, without the slightest hesitation, Natsume joined in, and after a little reluctance, Vita did as well; Suzuka and Alisa declined, though they were certainly given a hard time for it.

Needless to say, things got out of hand quickly. Since this was their first time drinking, none of the three had any control of themselves, as if they hadn't even heard of moderation; by the time an hour had past, Vita, Hayate, and Natsume were all quite drunk, much to a certain blond's displeasure.

"Hahahahahaha, you're so funny, Natsume-chan!" Hayate and Natsume both laughed like idiots, while Vita looked at the choco-haired girl longingly, a large blush streaking across her face.

"No fair, look at me too..." The small girl crawled towards them, and then promptly passed out, snoring loudly soon after.

"Kyahahaha, Vita-chan is so cute, right Natsume-chan!" She nodded.

"Hey hey, lets draw on her face!"

"Yes! Lets do it!"

As they went after a marker, Alisa finally stepped in, grabbing them both by the collars.

"Now listen here you damn drunks, if the two of you don't calm down, I'll be more than happy to put you to sleep."

"Hehe, sir yes sir!" They echoed together, giggling and saluting her. Alisa sighed in defeat, throwing them back and leaving them be, going back to Suzuka, who smiled warmly at her.

"Thanks for the hard work."

"Yeah yeah..." The two of them just sat in the corner and watched, seeing a passed out tsundere, and two drunk idiots.

* * *

The full moon was bright as always, something Natsume never failed to notice. The hour was late, and everyone was asleep; she was feeling drowsy earlier, but now that was all drown out by a headache. "Serves me right..." She whispered to herself, taking a sip of wine from her glass, having not learned her lesson yet. For her, and her matured tastes, it was a lot sweeter now.

"Can't sleep, Natsume-chan..." A calm voice from behind called to her, and turning her head, Natsume found Hayate looking at her with a zoned out expression, clearly she was still intoxicated.

"Its nothing, just go back to sleep." Natsume was lying, as right now she felt very lonely, even with all of her friends there, even with Alisa there. Her heart was aching, even more so when she thought about Nanoha and Fate, seeing how happy they looked before.

In any case, Hayate shuffled toward her, unsteady, doing her best not to fall over. Of course things didn't go very well, and she tripped, colliding into Natsume's back. "Honestly, what should I do about you..." Natsume changed her position, and now she was facing Hayate, who was getting more than a little comfortable, especially since she was being cradled in the redhead's arms. "Come on, lets get you back to sleep."

"Natsume-chan... you're beautiful..." While she appreciated the sentiment, Natsume knew the girl was not being sincere.

"Thank you, but I'm afraid you're drunk." Natsume attempted to pick the girl up, but was stopped as Hayate's arms swirled around her neck.

"We're really alike... I... think I..." Natsume didn't like where this was going, so she dismissed everything and ignored her. Again, she tried to lift the girl, but with a sudden burst of strength, Hayate pushed against her.

"Stop it already, Hayate." No longer bothering to use an honorific, Natsume was now sternly telling her to lay off. She shouldn't have been so naive to think that the girl would listen in her state. With one more push, Hayate pressed forward, and their lips collided, though it was clumsy and a little painful.

Still, even though she should have resisted her, knowing that this was a mistake, the longing in Natsume's heart took over, and she started to respond. "mmph!" The kiss deepened quickly, and before they knew what was happening, they were reaching for each other's clothes.

_Forgive me, Hayate..._

* * *

"I'm such a fool." Natsume stated to herself, thinking about that event five days ago. While they didn't have sex, or go very far, she knew that what they did was wrong, and that it shouldn't have happened. "I'm so weak, I really am an idiot..." In her moment of weakness she did something that she knew she couldn't take back, all that was left now was to pick up the pieces and attempt to move on.

_How should I face her? _Since that incident they haven't really spoken, and already everyone was taking notice. _I need to properly explain it to her though..._ "Idiot..."

But even as she thought that, she couldn't help but notice that the beating of her heart had increased. A familiar desire crawled through her body, one which she's explored many times. Hayate's face came to mind, she pictured the longing in the girl's eyes, and the loneliness that reminded her of things she'd like to forget.

Automatically, Natsume's fingers started to move on their own. Though ashamed, she didn't try to resist what she knew was coming. Covering herself under her blankets, Natsume released all her frustrations, her anger, her confusion, and her arousal.

And if you listened hard enough, you'd be able to hear the girl's soft sobs in between her moans...


	5. Chapter 5

_A/N: Yay for the longest and most insane chapter yet. I reveal a nice tidbit here, set up some potential goodness there, I'm interested to see how you'll react to it all. Enjoy!_

_- Kode-Dekka  
_

**

* * *

Lyrical Girls S**

**V**

* * *

Hayate woke up this New Years Eve, and already she was tired of it. Her eyes gravitated to Vita, who was holding onto her gently, and drooling a little. "Hehe, you really are cute." The redhead tossed then, as if she had heard her.

Now that she was awake, her thoughts became clear, and a certain girl popped into mind, causing her to blush. _God I'm so stupid, why did I do that?_ While she didn't completely remember what happened on Christmas, she remembered enough to become ashamed of herself. _This is seducing, right? I seduced her, didn't I? _

Hayate didn't like the way her heart was beating now, so quick, pounding heavily. Even she had to admit, the signs were obvious, she was in love with Natsume.

_How did things become like this?_ From what Hayate knew, Natsume once hated her greatly, due to the circumstances surrounding her family. But now, they were like the best of friends. _Is it because we're so similar...?_ Both of them liked to have fun, a desire which started out as nothing more than a means of coping with pain, but soon became a true part of their personalities. As it was, they got along, and could talk naturally with each other, without a care in the world.

_But I..._ Now Hayate felt like it was all over, all because of her. What she felt for Natsume, she knew was probably just a flaring infatuation, induced in part by the fact that she considered the redhead to be beautiful, which she stated in her drunken stupor. _Damn it, what should I do?_ She wanted to clear up this problem, preferably before everyone found out, but right now she had no idea how to face the girl that she seduced.

_I guess I'll have to do it today._ Everyone was going to be hanging out again, so there was no avoiding Natsume. Hayate knew she would have to confront the girl, and her own feelings, which she was sure she would understand the moment she saw her friend's face.

With her cheeks scarlet just thinking about it, she closed her eyes, and pulled Vita closer to her as she tried to go back to sleep.

_

* * *

I want to see you, Nanoha..._ Fate was currently reeling in agony, anxious to once again be with her girlfriend. _Girlfriend... _She liked the sound of that, it made her heart warm, and awakened the powerful sensation that she felt when being confessed too.

If anyone saw her, they would think she was the happiest girl in the world, and she certainly felt like that. Ever since Nanoha confessed to her and kissed her, she's been on cloud 9, even after learning that Nanoha knew how she felt the entire time and was holding back for her sake. _Ah, Nanoha, you're so nice. _The morning had just gotten started, and already she was full of energy and cheer.

She was looking forward to spending time with everyone, which was always fun. _I should make something... _She didn't want to go to Natsume's house empty handed, so it was already decided that Fate would do what anyone else would do, bake a cake.

"Alright!" She said out loud, getting out of bed and preparing for the bright new day.

* * *

"Fuwaaaa~!" I stretched out my arms as I woke up, yawning loudly. The sun poking in through my window was a little blinding, but I eventually adjusted, feeling very refreshed this morning. _I haven't felt this good in a long time._ And I owed it all to Fate, who was the subject of many sweet dreams.

"Ah! Even though I just woke up, I want to see you!"

"Nanoha? Are you awake?" I heard my mother calling and toned my voice down.

"Y-Yeah, I'll be down soon!" I breathed in relief. I still haven't told my family about Fate and I. Its not like I was embarrassed or anything, I just wasn't sure how I should say it, since such a thing wasn't really very casual conversation. _We'll, I'll get around to it eventually. _And with that, I stretched some more, and headed downstairs.

* * *

"So we're hanging at that idiot's house then?" Alisa heard confirmation from Suzuka, who she had just called. "Alright. But, if anyone brings alcohol again, I'm leaving."

"Understood, I'll be sure to tell her." Suzuka said with a giggle, "See you later, Alisa-chan."

"See ya." They ended the call, and Alisa huffed out some hot air. "God everyone, is such a brother." But even as she said that, Alisa was rummaging through her closet, picking out what clothes to wear for what she was sure would be another idiot ball.

* * *

Suzuka laughed as she hung up, never failing to be amused by Alisa's irritation. "Now, I guess I should take care of "that'." She dialed another number, and after only two rings, someone picked up. "Good morning, sorry to call so early."

"A-Ah, its no problem." A male voice answered, sounding very pleased to hear her voice. "What's up?"

"Sorry, but we wont be able to see each other today."

"Having another party?" He joked, "Its okay, I've already become used to how things are, you don't want them to know yet, right?"

"Sorry, we'll definitely see each other tomorrow though, Renji-kun. And I promise, I'll introduce you to them soon."

"Don't mind it, just have fun, Suzuka." A pleasant feeling of warmth spread into Suzuka's heart, which occurred whenever the man spoke her name. "See you tomorrow, I love you and Happy New Years."

Smiling, Suzuka replied without hesitation. "I love you too, Renji-kun."

* * *

"You're looking quite cheerful today." Lindy noticed, hearing the soft hum coming from her daughter's lips.

"Eh, really?" And she really did sound happy.

"I assume everything is going well with Nanoha-chan then?" Fate nodded, continuing her hum as she prepared to bake her cake. "I'm glad, you looked so worried, you must have shaved a decade off your life."

"Geez Lindy-san, it wasn't that bad!"

"Fu fu fu~, as I recall, you were quite teary eyed telling me about it." Fate's face heated up, and she pouted. "Now now, don't be such a poor sport." Lindy waltzed up to her, placing her hands on the girl's shoulders. "Shall I help you?"

"Of course, Lindy-san!"

And so, the two of them did their first real activity together, and baked a cake as mother and daughter.

* * *

"Welcome welcome!" Natsume ushered us all to her house, actually into the dojo, where the party would be held, as there was more space. I noticed that when she looked at Hayate, her eyes became a little more cautious, however I chose to ignore that since it wasn't my business.

Fate handed Natsume her homemade cake, and we got right to business.

It was a lot of fun, dancing with everyone, singing. I even had a few moments nice moments with Fate, though we were mostly made fun of by the others, especially when the two of us did a slow dance.

But as midnight approached, things toned down a bit, and we waited for the big moment. Suzuka, Alisa and Vita were chatting, and I was surprised at how well they got along. _It must be cause those two are always so angry, hehe~_. Of course I was referring to Alisa and Vita, who both had very short tempers. _Birds of a feather..._ I thought with a smile.

Because I got distracted, Fate asked me if I was okay, and in response I held her hand, which made her blush, which was cute as always. From the corner of my eye I noticed something, turning my head, I saw that both Natsume and Hayate were going outside. I don't know what they were going to talk about, but rather than get hung up on it, I dragged Fate with me to the others, amusing myself with Alisa's temper, as she chided me again for flaunting my relationship in front of everyone. _Ah, this really is the best! _

* * *

"..."

"..."

Hayate and Natsume were off to a rocky start, unable to get the conversation rolling. They glanced at each other, looked away, blushed, and then started at the floor. The redhead, feeling frustrated with herself, mocked her behavior with a laugh.

"What are the hell we doing, getting so shy all of a sudden?" Hayate chuckled as well.

"Y-Yeah, its silly." They faced each other seriously this time, not looking away for a second. "Natsume-chan, I'm-"

"I'm sorry, Hayate." Natsume cut her off first.

"Eh?"

"About that night, you were drunk – well we both were, but you had it bad, and I took advantage of you when you were like that, I'm sorry." Once more, Hayate's face turned crimson.

"N-No, don't apologize, I'm the one who should do that, since I forced myself on you without considering your feelings."

"Ha, you were drunk, I understand, it was all the alcohol's doing." Right away, Hayate shook her head.

"You're wrong! I... I never did anything that I didn't want to." Now it was Natsume's turn to be surprised.

"Does that mean that you... like me?"

"Well, I'm not really sure, but I-I think so; it feels so weird, I have no idea what to do with myself." Natsume giggled.

"That makes two of us. I was really surprised when you kissed me, but its not like I disliked it, so now I'm just as confused as you, especially since..." She halted for a moment, forgetting that Hayate didn't know absolutely everything. "Right. You don't know this, but the truth is, I'm in love with Alisa right now."

The moment she said it, Natsume regretted it, seeing the sharp pain that ran through Hayate's eyes for a moment. "I-I see..."

"My feelings are completely one-sided, and I know she'll never return them, so I've been trying to move on. But then I got drunk, and then I started to think about how lonely I am, and then, well... you know the rest." Hayate's blush worsened again.

"I had no idea, I wouldn't have done that if I knew, even if I was drunk."

"I know, Hayate."

The situation became a little tense, so Natsume tried to defuse it a little. "Now, what shall we do about this, its too awkward to leave things the way they are."

"I agree, but what should we do? I'm still not completely sure if I like you, and you like Alisa, its not like we can go out or anything." Unfortunately, Natsume's mind decided to spin a horrible web of insanity then.

"That might not be a bad idea."

"EH!" The redhead grinned at her, it was really silly.

"Its not like that don't like you, I just do in a friendly sort of way right now; but if its possible, I wouldn't mind it if you made me fall in love with you." She wanted to move on, she wanted to get over her feelings for Alisa, and the easier way to get over someone was to fall for someone else. "Don't worry, if you go out with me, I'll be serious about it, I've felt enough pain to know how to do things properly."

"B-But, isn't that weird, two people going out, even though they're not in love?" Natsume placed both hands on her shoulder.

"Well then, we'll just have to fall in love then, right? I look forward to it."

"W-Wait! We should think about this kind of thing through!" Natsume gave her a warm smile.

"I'm serious about this Hayate; but if I do end up hurting you, then I'll let you beat me up. So what do you say, shall we go out?" It looked like Hayate was about to have a meltdown from the embarrassment.

"I-Is this really okay? I mean its completely insane, but if you're fine with it, then I..."

"Hayate." Natsume placed a finger under her chin, lifting it up. And this time, of her own violation, she initiated their kiss. It was short, but got the message across. "Is that answer enough?"

"G-Geez, what the hell have I gotten myself into?" Natsume took that as a yes, and they shared another kiss, embracing each other.

"Natsume, Hayate, what the hell is taking you so long!" They jumped apart as soon as they heard Alisa's yell. Nervously they laughed.

"Shall we go? We shouldn't keep them waiting."

"R-Right." The went back inside, finding their friends all staring at them intensely.

"So did you guys fix whatever the hell was wrong with you?" In response to the blond's answer, Natsume, placed her arm around Hayate's waist and winked at Nanoha and Fate.

"Actually, I have an announcement to make. Hayate and I are officially going out!" The entire room froze, defrosted, and then exploded.

"EH!"


	6. Chapter 6

_A/N: Midterms were this week, so I got really busy and very tired, which is why this took so long. Anyway, this time, Natsume gives Alisa a verbal curb stomp, and things get hopefully a little more interesting with side Characters. Not much NanoFate, but I promise I will be fixing that in the future. Anyway, read, have fun, and make sure to watch Puella Magi Madoka Magica, its too awesome to be passed up. _

_- Kode-Dekka  
_

**

* * *

Lyrical Girls S**

**Chapter VI**

* * *

"What... what's going on, Natsume!" Alisa made an excited and somewhat angry outburst which surprised everyone, as she was the last person they expected to get mad over this. "Answer me Natsume! Is this some kind of joke?"

In response to that, Natsume titled Hayate's face toward hers, and pressed their lips together, getting a collective gasp. "Does that answer your question, Alisa?" She said when they parted, the brunette looking to the floor, and the redhead gazing at Alisa more seriously than she'd ever done before. "Is there a problem?"

"You're damn right there is!" Alisa walked up to Natsume, grabbing her by the collar of her shirt. "After everything you did, all the stuff you put me through, are you seriously going pull something like this now!" The expression in Natsume's eyes didn't change, but while everyone was moving to remove the blond from her, she smiled.

"This is comical. I can't believe you of all people would have the nerve to criticize me about my love life, when you're the one who rejected me in the first place." This made Alisa's face flush red with both anger and embarrassment. "Am I not allowed to be happy? I know I did a lot of terrible things to you, and I'm sorry for that, but does that mean I have no right to move on and start over? Isn't this what you wanted? Didn't you want me to forget about my feelings for you and find someone who I could love? Tell me, Alisa, do you think I deserve to be happy, or not?"

Natsume's vocal barrage stunned Alisa, and consequently, caused her to let go and back away. They looked each other, reading one another's feelings carefully.

"Fine, do what you want. But, I wont forgive you if you're just messing around."

"I know, I intend to take this seriously, don't worry about that. And thank you Alisa, for understanding."

The blush on Alisa's face grew darker, and she grumbled something before going with Suzuka outside to get some air. Nanoha and Fate looked at Natsume and Hayate, seeing the couple get a little embarrassed after all the previous tensioned disappeared.

"Please don't stare at us like that Nanoha-chan, its not that big a deal."

"S-Sorry, I guess I'm surprised." At this Natsume giggle wholeheartedly.

"Yeah, me too."

They were interrupted by the soft mumblings of a certain short-tempered girl.

"This is stupid." Vita said to no one, walking off and sitting by herself.

"Oh dear." Natsume understood entirely what was happening, and whispered her thoughts into Hayate's ear, which caused the girl to become shocked and frozen.

"Really!" She exclaimed in response to what she'd just heard. Natsume nodded. "I never noticed it at all, I'm so stupid."

"What do you mean?" Nanoha said, confused.

"Simple," Natsume answered. "That little devil over there isn't taking the news very well, because she's obviously in love with this one here, or so it seems to me. And as you know, my intuition is never wrong." She finished, patting Hayate on the head.

"Ah! I-I see." The four remaining teens looked at Vita, who was sulking by herself, staring off into space. "Should I go talk to her?"

"No, I'll do it." Hayate countered. "Its my responsibility, I'll explain things properly to her." Everyone else nodded to her and she strolled over to the girl, who was a little reluctant at her presence.

"Ah, so much for New Years." Natsume sighed, offering the girl girls opposite to her an exhausted smile. "I think we should all just go to bed, I feel like an old man." As she said that, Suzuka and Alisa reentered, the latter looking a little more calm, but still getting flustered when catching Natsume's eyes.

"I'm sorry Natsume-chan, but the two of us are going to head home." Suzuka apologized sweetly, but that wasn't necessary, Natsume understood.

"Okay, have a safe trip." They nodded and left after saying their goodbyes to Nanoha and Fate. "I guess that leaves... ah." Natsume noticed that Hayate had finished calming Vita down, though the girl still glared daggers at her.

"I explained everything to her, though she denied having special feelings... A-Anyway, she wont be any trouble."

"Alright, I was just telling Nanoha-chan and Fate-chan, I think its best if we go to bed." Hayate agreed and they set up the sleeping arrangements. Fate and Nanoha set their futons side by side, Vita slept alone; as for Hayate and Natsume, they had two options, go back to the redhead's room, or stay here. Deciding that it probably wouldn't improve the mood to leave, they set up a futon and shared it, holding each other very close as they got comfortable.

Needless to say, it was a very awkward night.

* * *

Time seemed to pass very slowly, and as I listened to Fate's soft breathing, it became even slower. _Ah... I can't sleep at all._ There was no particular reason, but my fatigue did nothing to rest my weary eyes.

"You can't sleep either, Nanoha-chan?" Natsume's voice startled me, but I didn't want to wake Fate, so I held back. She was looking right at me, smiling as Hayate's face buried itself further into her chest. "It was a long night, wasn't it?"

"Yeah, but it was kind of fun too." I admitted, smiling back at her. "Natsume, I-." Natsume put a finger to her lips and I stopped.

"I know you're curious, but please wait until tomorrow, I'm so tired right now." I nodded and watched as she pulled Hayate closer. "Goodnight Nanoha-chan, sweet dreams."

"Goodnight, Natsume-chan." She closed her eyes and kissed Hayate's forehead, pleased with herself. I blushed unexpectedly, and just closed my eyes as well. I felt Fate shift, and her hands reached for me. I took them and squeezed, unable to contain my joy.

_Goodnight Fate-chan, I love you. _

* * *

"Sounds like a lot happened." Renji chuckled at at Suzuka who laughed, squeezing his hand.

"Yes, it was quite troubling, but very fun." As the two of them walked, the afternoon sunlight shone brightly above them. The chill of Winter still hung around, but they managed to stay warm being being close to one another.

They stopped at the riverbank, sitting on a bench and looking to the frozen river. "I'm sorry Renji-kun," She said suddenly. "We hardly get to spend time like this, especially since you're studying for your entrance exams." The boy beside her just flicked her in the forehead.

"Don't be silly. Even if its just a second together, that's more than enough for me." Suzuka blushed heavily, she then giggled and snuggled up against him.

"When did you become so mature, Renji-kun?" He didn't say anything, but that wasn't necessary. Seeing the look in his girlfriend's eyes, he understood what she wanted. They closed their eyes and leaned into each other, initiating a soft kiss.

It was a nice moment, but at the back of her mind, several thoughts nagged her. _Soon, I'll do it soon... _She knew that she couldn't hide this relationship forever, and that there was no point in doing so. Still, just for a little longer, before she revealed her greatest secret, and everything changed, she wanted her happy life to remain as it was.

The couple parted, smiling warmly at each other.

"Shall we go?" Renji suggested, Suzuka nodded and clasped for his hand.

"Yes."


	7. Chapter 7

_A/N: Again, things are rather hectic for me, so I've been sluggish in my writing. Anyway, a plot point that I introduced in the first story will finally be resolved. The focus of the story will now be on Fate and Nanoha, though I wont neglect Suzuka's subplot, which will be resolved soon as well. Anyway, I'll leave it at that, enjoy the chapter. _

_- Kode-Dekka  
_

* * *

"Its that time again, huh?" Fate's chest tightened, her eyes also narrowed in sorrow as she gazed upon a picture of her family, her real one. Even after all the cruelties she suffered, the blond couldn't hate the purple-haired woman in the image, that was impossible for her.

She picked the picture up, brought it close to her face, and then kissed it before setting it down. Then she walked over to her calender, where there was an event circled three days from now. Her fingers touched the numbers of that date, and she smiled sadly.

"This time for sure, I'll tell her everything..."

**

* * *

Lyrical Girls S**

**Chapter VII**

* * *

"Waaah, I can't believe the break is over already!" Hayate whined, Natsume whose arms were looped with the girl, just sighed, understanding her pain.

"It can't be helped, we're high school students after all." Alisa and Suzuka walked on either side of them, partaking in their misery.

At the back, Fate, Vita and I waddled along. Much like the couple ahead, I held my beloved's hand. We did this quite often, and while some wondered about our relationship, no one really knew that we were going out. For now, we decided to keep it that way, if only to keep our fans from going mad.

I quickly learned that Natsume was not so shy about such a thing. Right as we reached the front gates, she and Hayate kissed before the redhead bolted off for morning practice. Hayate's face was completely flushed, becoming worse as the whispers and excitement spread.

"Geez, why does that idiot have to be such an idiot." Alisa face palmed, shaking her head and moving forward, avoiding the eyes of her fellow students. Vita grunted with displeasure and ran on ahead as well, and I could understand why she was so angry, even if the girl wouldn't admit it.

"She's as flashy as always." Atsuko Nijima commented as she passed by us as well, giving me a slap on the back. "I wish our team was as energetic as her." She winked in my direction and waved, "Anyway, see ya after school, gotta get ready for those upcoming meets." I nodded, disappointed that I would have to send Fate ahead of me later, I didn't like to make her wait.

That was the least of my worries.

"Kyaaa!" A girl cried out, and all of sudden I was being toppled over, the crushing weight of someone's body flattening me. _Why me..._

"Subaru you idiot!" All of a sudden, the person who hit me was pulled away, and multiple hands extended to me. One belonging to Fate, the other to my fans. I took Fate's, and when I was on my feet I saw quite an amusing sight.

"Waaaaah! Tea, I'm sorry, I didn't mean it!" A short girl with blue hair was being smacked repeatedly over the head by another girl.

"Geez, you're always acting so stupid, what am I going to do with you?" She wasn't the only one berating the girl, my fans were laying into her verbally, but the other girl simply scared them off with a cry.

Having enough of this, I dusted myself off and tapped the taller, angry girl on the shoulder. She looked surprised but then backed away a few steps. "Sorry about this idiot, she wasn't paying any attention to where she was going."

"uuu~!" The blue-haired girl sniffled tears, looking up at me, and then blushing.

"Nanoha-san, I'm so sorry!" Since she knew my name, I figured that she was just another one of my fans, but regardless I felt bad to have her apologize to me like this.

"Here." I extended my hand to her, offering her a gentle smile, showing her that I wasn't angry. Hesitantly she took it and I pulled her up. "Don't worry about this, it was an accident, right?"

"Y-Yes! I'm sorry!" This girl's energy reminded me of Natsume, but I put that to rest and brushed the dirt off her shoulders, causing her to blush even more.

"Sorry, but we have to be going." I motioned to Fate, who was looking at me with an embarrassingly cute smile. "See you around." I turned away from her, and could hear her friend start insulting her again. It was a little excessive, but not malicious, so I figured that was just how they got along.

Once again I took Fate's hand, giving it a subtle squeeze. We passed by the cries and wonder of the other first years, and started our first day of the second term.

* * *

"Hmm, you're slower than before, Takamachi." Atsuko brought herself down to my level as I heaved in and out. "You didn't practice at all during break, did you?"

I froze. That was true, I didn't do any running at all, so by now I've gotten a little out of shape. "Sorry Captain, a lot happened..." She didn't say anything about that, and just pressed a cold bottle of water to my forehead.

"Well good work, just make sure your ready for the meet." I nodded. Atsuko smirked at me then. "By the way, it seems you have an admirer." I wanted to ask what she meant, but when I lifted my eyes, I found myself looking at a familiar blue-haired girl, and it become obvious.

However, as soon as our eyes made contact she blushed and ran away; Atsuko laughed, amusing herself with the spectacle. "I wish I was that popular, how nice." My face turned red, but not because of my exhaustion. After making her remark she walked away, patting me on the back.

I thought about the girl for a moment, musing that she was a little strange._ Well whatever..._ I wiped the sweat from my brow, chugged the water and then charged back to the track for one last lap.

* * *

Fate was waiting for me at the front gates, even though I told her to go on ahead. Still, since there weren't very many people around, I hugged her when I got close enough.

"N-Nanoha."

"Mou, its fine, isn't it? Can't I hug the person I love?" Her face flared up, but she reciprocated my affection with some of her own. "Thank you for waiting, even though you didn't have to."

"A-Ah! Well... I have something I want to talk about." I pulled back from her, examining the girl before me. Fate's eyes suggested that she was serious, so I got serious too.

"What is it?" She looked around, and then focused on me again.

"L-Lets go to my house first. Its something I've wanted to tell you for a long time; its about my sister, Alicia." At the mention of that name my heart tightened, and the memory of Fate's crying face surged into my mind.

"Okay." I took her hand for comfort and she squeezed it. We left the school, and made our way to Fate's house, where I was prepared to listen to everything she had to say. Fate's sin, the one that made her feel so guilty and troubled, I was finally going to hear it.

Once again, Fate squeezed my hand. Also, for just a moment, I felt it shake as well.


	8. Chapter 8

_A/N: Sorry for the wait, needed to catch up on lots of sleep. Anyway, with this, we are entering the second act of the story, which will focus on the newly introduced Subaru and Teana. Also, I've been planning out another story, even though I said I wouldn't write anymore Nanoha after this, I just can't stay away. The new story will be odd, but fitting to truly be my last tale. I wont spoil the plot yet, but a few hints. It takes place over 200 years after the original series, and Vivio is still alive. That's all I'll say, so look forward to the Loving Melody that will be coming soon. _

_- Kode-Dekka  
_

* * *

**Lyrical Girls S**

**Chapter VIII**

* * *

_10 Years ago..._

Alicia and Fate Testarossa ran around the front yard, giggling like crazy as one twin tried her best to show the other a snail. When the four year olds finally settled down, out of breath, their parents picked them up and brought them back inside for lunch.

That day was supposed to be just like any other, without tragedy or tears. It all started with something as simple as going to the store.

"Hmm, that's odd." Soichiro Testarossa said after looking in the fridge.

"What is it dear?" Precia was currently trying to calm her kids down as they anticipated the pudding that would be coming, well, one of the two was excited.

"The two pudding cups for them are gone. Did they eat them already?" As he tried to figure it out, Fate did her best to keep a straight face as Alicia looked at her smugly.

In truth, Fate ate both of them earlier in the day, and was caught by her sister, who promised not to say anything if she got her dessert next time. The guilt was weighing down on her, but she remained silent as their father gave up.

"Well, we need a few thing anyway, might as well go pick some more up." Soichiro scratched his head and went for his car keys, immediately the two girls rushed him.

"I want to go too!"

"Me too!" They exclaimed. The man smiled somberly.

"I'll take one of you, we don't want mother to get lonely, right?" This sparked a conflict between the sisters, but Alicia eventually won out, blacking Fate again and grinning. The other girl just puffed out her cheeks, stuck out her tongue and called her sister a "baka."

Moping and pouting, having a slight dislike for Alicia at the moment, Fate stayed behind with her mother, watching the other two go, not knowing that it would be the last time.

* * *

"There was someone who wasn't paying attention, and when father realized it, he lost control, crashing into a building. The police told us that they probably died quickly, but still, it destroyed our family, and more importantly, it destroyed mother, turning her into, well..." Fate smiled as she cried, my hands had already long clasped hers as well as I cried too. "Its stupid really, if I hadn't been so greedy, then Alicia wouldn't have been able to guilt me into staying. They both died over something so dumb, and I could have saved Alicia by confessing, but I..." I felt her squeeze, and nearly dig her nails into me. "Sometimes Nanoha, I wish I did something, I wish I was the one who went, not Alicia."

"Please don't say that, Fate-chan!" I cried, surprising her, "I wouldn't want that, because then, you and I..." She nodded patting my head.

"I know, and thanks to you, I've managed to understand something important. I know now that it wasn't my fault, but I still carry it around, that weight." As more tears poured down, Fate laughed again. "I realized my real sin. By blaming myself for it, I couldn't move on, and I let myself be punished, I continued mother's suffering even more too, because I couldn't accept it. By being stuck in the past, I couldn't help mother move on either. But you saved me, and now I can finally carry that weight, because you're with me, Nanoha."

"Oh Fate-chan..." The two of us embraced tightly, shedding more tears in this closed room, where no one disturb us.

When the tears finally stopped, Fate had one more thing to say. "The anniversary of their deaths is in two days, will you go with me?" She didn't even have to ask, but as assurance, I kissed her softly. "Hehe. One more thing. On that day, I'm going to confront mother, alone. Its something I have to do, and I think I'm ready now."

"Okay." We affirmed it with another kiss. I was glad, everything was finally ending, and we could both move forward, together.

* * *

"Hmm I see, that's great, Nanoha-chan." Natsume laid on her bed while talking to Nanoha, who relayed to her that Fate was going to move forward. "From one dummy to another, I'm happy for her."

"Who are you calling a 'dummy" Natsume-chan?"

"Kidding~. Anyway, good luck, tell me how it goes." She was about to hang up, but Nanoha's sudden protests made her hesitate. "Need something else?"

"I just want to know how things are going with Hayate, the two of you are pretty lovely-dovey, its kind of awkward." Natsume's cheeks took a light pink color.

"Well, its pretty nice, I couldn't ask for a better girlfriend." But Natsume knew that wasn't what Nanoha wanted to know. "Don't worry, I don't have any regrets about Alisa, it just wasn't meant to be, and I'm okay with that, I just have to try my best now to fall in love."

"Ah... I see. Good luck, Natsume-chan."

"Thank you Nanoha-chan, goodnight."

"Goodnight."

They ended the call, and Natsume softly breathed out, looking at her cellphones' wallpaper, a picture of her and Hayate. She smiled, stared for another minute and then finally closed the phone at last.


	9. Chapter 9

_A/N: A short chapter, continuing what I wrote about last time, and finishing off Fate's subplot. With this I can move on and start developing the other characters, namely: Suzuka, Subaru and Teana. At the same time, I'm also working on my next story, and will have the second half of the prologue done soon, so yeah... Anyway, thank you for reading up to this point, and I hope you enjoy this chapter. _

_- Kode-Dekka  
_

* * *

Nanoha and I knelt side by side in front of the gravestones of my sister and father; our shoulders touched, and we each put our hands together to pray. In my head, I asked them how they were doing, even though they were dead; that was just my thing. I also apologized one last time to them, and within my mind, assured them; _I'm fine now, so don't worry..._

* * *

**Lyrical Girls S**

**Chapter IX**

* * *

After we finished praying, Fate laid a bouquet of flowers atop the graves; she wiped her eyes to rid herself of all her remaining tears. I clutched her free hand, she nodded and leaned into me for a moment. I felt her warmth, and the sad thumping of her heart. In a loving gesture I wrapped my arms around her, holding her close to me; with my feelings, I banished away the sadness that filled her heart.

"Thank you Nanoha, I'm okay now." We pulled apart. A single tear fell down her cheek, and that was the end of it; Fate's heart with those final tears, had found peace in her heart, I was sure of it. "Lets go, Nanoha." I nodded. It was time to confront the final problem, Precia Testarossa. This last test, Fate would have to do it alone; she could do it, of that I knew; because, in her eyes, showed a fiery determination, one that wouldn't lose to anyone.

* * *

"This way please." A guard escorted Fate to a large, clear-plastic wall, where her disgruntled mother looked at her with surprise.

"You..."

"Good afternoon, mother." This was their first meeting since the trial, which had only made things more bitter between them; that was something that Fate wanted to overcome right here and now.

"So, what do you want?" Precia's acid like voice started the blond for a moment, bringing back unpleasant memories, but she quickly resolved herself again.

"Today, it was the anniversary of father and neesan's deaths, mother." The woman let out a sigh.

"Hmph. Don't insult me, Fate; do you think I would forget something like that?"

"No, I just wanted to tell you, I was visiting their graves, like always." Fate's words carried a little animosity; she remembered, how her mother had not visited the graves once since the funeral. However, that wasn't why she was in this place, so she settled the anger building in her. "Mother, there's something I've wanted to tell you for a long time."

"Spit it out already then!"

Fate searched inside her heart, looking for the exact words in which to convey her feelings. It was easy; the words were simple, and she spoke them without hesitation.

"I forgive you, mother... and, I love you." A deep silence followed, complemented by Precia's wide eyes. Fate expected this; Precia spent years torturing her, so those were the last words that she expecting to hear.

"What is the meaning of this?" The purple-haired woman asked, sounding both irritated, and sad as well. Fate, despite everything between them, smiled.

"I forgive you for everything, all the abuse, the words, all of it. I understand how you feel now, so I can't bring myself to hate you; I love you, I always will, because you're my mother." Pressing her hands to the wall between them, Fate's tears started again. "I'm really happy right now, and I'm going to be much happier from now on; I'm going to look forward, I wont let the past hold me back anymore... and, I wont let it hold you back either. When you're released, I want us to start over, and move forward together; so please mother, when your by my side again, lets move forward together, okay?"

Fate had said everything, spilled out all the contents of her heart, laid her soul bare; having outstretched her hand, she solemnly waited for her mother to take it.

Precia's eyes misted over, as though she might start crying herself; otherwise, her face was as hard as stone and she dug her fingers into her arms. She held her mouth shut rightly, though her lips quivered.

"Times up." Shocked, the two of them snapped out of the moment, and Precia was being taken away. They didn't look away from each other, and at the last moment, Precia whispered something slowly to Fate, who carefully read the lips and nodded.

When Precia was gone at last, Fate wiped the tears from her face, and went with the guard back into the waiting room, where Nanoha was.

"Fate-chan?"

The blond walked up to her girlfriend, giving her a smile.

"I think... everything is going to be alright now." Nanoha nodded and took her hand as they left. Fate was prepared to come back, every day if that's what it took, but for now, she was content with Precia's last message to her. As the couple walked down the street, that message played back in her head, to which she nodded again to it.

"_You've become strong, haven't you, Fate?" _

_Yes mother, _she thought; and when the time came, when her mother was by her side again, she would help her become strong too.


	10. Chapter 10

_A/N: Sorry for the long, long delay this time. College is a bitch, and so is writer's block, but I'm back now, and I feel very refreshed. Anyway I wont waste too much of your time, so enjoy. _

_- Kode-Dekka  
_

* * *

**Lyrical Girls S**

**Chapter X**

* * *

Ever since Fate revealed to me the reason behind all her past depression, I felt like we've gotten closer as a result. She smiles more than before, and is more willing to be physically affectionate with me, which isn't something I'm complaining about. There is a problem though, I'm liking her attention it too much.

I first noticed it when we were kissing in my room; during this event, I unconsciously touched her chest. She let out a cry and we retracted, our faces completely red. I apologized, but she insisted that it was okay, stating that she was just surprised and didn't mind. Hearing that from her, I tried it again, and touched her breast, taking delight in the softness of it.

And then a sudden, hot impulse started spreading in my body, specifically down in between my legs; that's where things got a little uncomfortable, right when Fate moaned quietly.

We stopped, and just went back to kissing. In my head, I imagined all kinds of things, and realized; I wanted to do even more naughty things with her. I... wanted to have sex with Fate.

I didn't know anything about sex, or making love, or things like that. I certainly didn't know how to please someone during the act, and never before did I have any desire to do so. With Fate everything was different. All my sense and feelings were amplified whenever she was around, and now I had another strange feeling to worry about.

I decided now was a good time for something I've been putting off; if I was going to find some answers, I needed to do something important.

I headed downstairs, and found my mother and father sitting on the couch, enjoying the evening news. When they saw me, they offered me a seat, but I declined.

"Mom, I have something I want to talk about." We glanced at each other, and my face brightened a little with a blush.

"Okay." We went to the kitchen, so that dad wouldn't hear. "So, what is it this time? Fate-chan I assume?" She gave me a smile that disarmed me completely.

"Yeah... actually, its about both of us." I strengthened myself, prepared my heart, and looked her straight in the eyes. "The two of us are in love. We're dating." And as her eyes widened a bit, revealed everything to her, and unraveled all the secrets that I had been keeping.

* * *

Natsume and Hayate inhaled and exhaled deeply, trying to catch their breath. The two of them were at Natsume's house, in her bed; completely naked and drenched with sweat.

"That was..." Natsume started, but couldn't finished, instead she looked at Hayate who nodded, clutching her hand.

"Yeah... I can't believe we..."

They'd only been dating for a short time, but already had reached the peak of physical intimacy. It may have seemed rushed, but to them, having sex was something they had both desired, but put off thinking that it was too fast. They were young, almost too young to understand what they'd done, but it was too late to go back now, and the two didn't regret it one bit.

Natsume continued to gaze at her partner, she smiled widely and came in close to her, their faces nearly touching. Her heart was beating fast, but it was pleasant to her. With one hand, she caressed the girl's cheek.

"Hayate," She came in closer. "I think... I think that I, I'm failing in love with you." She admitted, and then closed the distance, stopping all further words with a kiss.

* * *

"I had a feeling it was like this." Mom said after I told her about my relationship with Fate. She reached over to me, touching my hand with hers. "Don't worry, I support you; I'm just sorry that you felt that you had to hide it."

"A-Ah, n-no, I..." Mom giggled, making me only more embarrassed, making it much harder to say the other thing I wanted to say. "Actually Mom, there's something else." It wasn't something I felt comfortable saying, even if she would be the only one who heard it. I walked around over to her, cupping my hands over her ear, and whispering it to her.

"Eh!" She gasped and let out a squeal, her face also becoming red.

"Is everything okay?" Dad came in, looking bored, but alert at the same time.

"N-No dear, everything's fine." Mom looked like she would burst from embarrassment as she sent him away; and when he was gone, she let out a relaxed sigh, turning back to me. "Now, where should I even begin?" She scratched her cheek, and giggled again. "I guess its time then Nanoha dear." And so, Mom gave me "the talk", and I learned about sex.

I decided something else right then as I listened to her; I was never, ever, going to talk to Mom about this again.


	11. Chapter 11

_A/N: Been a while, some crap happening. Anyway, here's a chapter, with enough twists to make it all worthwhile. I guess I'll get to work on my other story now, but worry not, I shall not neglect this one. Until we meet again. _

_- Kode-Dekka  
_

* * *

**Lyrical Girls S**

**Chapter XI**

* * *

"Fuwaaaa~" I let out a huge yawn; my arms were drooping to each side, and I lazily moved along.

"Nanoha, is everything alright?" Fate asked me, the concern in her eyes was maddeningly sweet.

"Not really; actually, things are better than ever." As I grasped her hand, a smile burst out on my face. "I told mom about us."

"Eh!" Surprised for a moment, Fate pondered it, and before she could ask, I cut her off.

"Don't worry, she's fine with it."

"Ah.. I'm glad."

"Me too, now we don't have to sneak around anymore, hehe~!" Fate's cheeks lit up red, and she gave a tiny smile herself.

_Yup, I did the right thing, _I thought to myself, happy to see such a cute smile. _Now..._ I still had the problem of my talk with mom, and the fact that I was started to have perverted thoughts about Fate. I looked at her face when she wasn't facing me, and a heat welled up in me. _No good, calm down, Nanoha!_

"The two of you are quiet this morning." Out of nowhere, Natsume and Hayate appeared from behind. "Trouble in paradise?"

"No Natsume," I said with a sigh, narrowing my eyes at her. "Why didn't you say you were there instead of creeping behind us?"

"Thought it would be more fun that way, don't agree, Hayate?"

"Yup yup!" The other girl chimed in agreement.

I sighed again, tightening my grip on Fate's hand. I began to wonder where Suzuka and Alisa were right now, but pushed that aside and moved on ahead with my girlfriend.

"Hey, get back here Subaru!" I heard a somewhat familiar cry from behind. Twisting my head around, a dreaded feeling came over me as a tall girl with blue hair came barreling toward me. There was no time for me to move, but luckily, Natsume and Hayate were still behind us, and would provide a perfect shield...

… Or so I thought. At the last minute, Natsume gave me an apologetic smirk, and the couple broke apart in opposite directions. The girl came crashing into my back, and for the second time I was knocked down by her; Fate didn't fall, and had let go at the last possible moment as well. _Fate-chan..._ She also apologized with her eyes, and I hit the cement.

"Waaaaaaah!" Subaru whined, pulling herself off me almost immediately. "I'm so sooooorry!"

"Subaru you idiot!" She was whacked on the back of the head by her friend, and then dragged back. The girl extended her hand, and I took it, getting to my feet. "Sorry about this idiot, she never watches where she's going." I felt like I had heard this before. "In any case, sorry, we'll be on our way now, after I discipline this moron."

"No no, its fine." I waved my hands in front of me, taking pity on Subaru. I remembered that she was the one watching me during practice, and a small blush crawled on my cheeks. My friendly instincts also got the better of me. "Anyway, I'm Nanoha Takamachi; its a little late, but nice to meet you." She smiled back at me, exasperated.

"I know, you're pretty famous, even though your the same age as us. But that's not important, I'm Teana Lanster, and this idiot here is Subaru Nakajima." Subaru pouted while Teana glared daggers at her. "Sorry, but we gotta go, see ya."

The Teana dragged the other away, though giving me a few final glances before disappearing.

"Wow, you made two more friends, I'm impressed." Natsume grinned at me.

"_Again?_ Geez, how popular can you get?" It was Alisa's voice, and both her and Suzuka were here now.

"All we did was introduce ourselves." Fate smirked at me all of sudden, while the others ganged together.

"Nanoha, I hope you aren't planning on stalking them like you did Fate." Memories of my various meetings with Fate flashed before my eyes, and I felt my face get hot.

"Mou, its not like that! I admit I was a little aggressive, but still, its nothing like with Fate-chan!" They all got a nice chuckle out of it, even Fate, however I wasn't very amused.

Eventually they stopped laughing at me, and now that we were all gathered, the six of us entered the gates.

* * *

Subaru watched Nanoha practicing with the rest of the track team, and longed to be there with here; however she didn't have the courage to take suck drastic steps, and just looked on from afar.

"You're here again?" She turned at around at the sound of Teana's voice. "Don't you ever learn, its not good to stalk her like that."

"I-I'm not, I'm just..." Seeing the blush on Subaru's cheeks, the other girl sighed, looking at her sharply.

"You really should give it up." She said, but didn't specify why, even though she had the answer.

_Because she's already taken, you idiot._ Teana thought, not letting her friend notice the slight pain that had went through her body. She had seen Nanoha and Fate kiss once, and deduced their relationship from that; she knew it was hopeless for Subaru to keep looking at that girl. But that wasn't her only reason for being so agitated.

_Look at me too, dammit..._

"Tea?" The redhead snapped out of things, sighing again.

"Its nothing, come on, lets go before someone sees us."

"Fiiiiine~" Subaru whined, reluctantly accompanying her friend away. Teana glanced at her friend for a moment, the pain returning; she sighed once more, and continued to walk, despite the pain of love sickness in her heart.

* * *

Suzuka giggled merrily listening to Alisa rant about Natsume and Hayate again. While she never tired hearing about it, she had to wonder just how Alisa kept her head from exploding, since she was always complaining. "Hey, are you listening?"

"Yes?" Though that was only half-true, but she didn't let the other girl know.

"I was saying, those two idiots don't have to keep flaunting their relationship in front of me; they should have a little consideration for us, since we aren't going out with anyone." Suzuka almost froze in place, but then covered with another giggle.

"My my, don't tell me you're jealous of Natsume-chan." Her cheeks flared up as expected, making her only more flustered, she even hit the purple haired girl as a response. "I was only kidding. And I think you're being too hard on them, they're rather cute together."

"Not you too Suzuka! Traitor!" The blond contained to rant for another ten minutes before running out of steam.

Up ahead, Suzuka noticed something that made her heart nearly stop. _Oh no, why here!_ Renji was coming down the road, though hadn't caught sight of her yet. _What is he doing here? Should I ignore him? Oh, what do I do?_

It was too late, he spotted her, and waved frantically. Of course, when he saw Alisa, he stopped, becoming embarrassed and attempting to look away.

"That guy's pretty weird, right Suzuka?" Alisa looked at her, finding the girl's cheeks a shade of red, her eyes darting around. "Suzuka?"

"Darn..." She sighed, waving him over. "There's no use hiding it now I guess."

"What's going on?" As he approached, Suzuka looked at Alisa, and as calmly as possible laid a bombshell on her.

"I'll tell you the truth. His name is Renji Kakishibe and..." She sighed, getting embarrassed all of a sudden. "He's my fiancé ."


	12. Chapter 12

_A/N: Sorry for the very long delay. A lot of things came up; exams, my entry into a writing contest for Anime North, and I also visited home for a few days; also laziness. That said, I've got a long break before I go back to school, so I might actually be able to finish this story by then, since we're getting close to the end. Anyway, this chapter, while explaining the events of the previous one, is a little more comedic in nature, and I hope you like it. I'm sure NanoFate fans will be happy. With that said, enjoy, and don't forget to review if you can~!_

_- Kode-Dekka  
_

* * *

**Lyrical Girls S **

**Chapter XII**

Alisa, Suzuka, and Renji; the three of them sat together at a table, inside a small cafe, silent as they waited for their drinks to arrive. The tension was heavy between them. The angry blond couldn't help but shoot daggers at the boy across from her, to which she got a shy response from him as he looked away at his fiancee, who was also looking embarrassed.

Finally, after the waitress came with their drinks, the disturbing atmosphere broke. Alisa sighed, took a sip from her milk tea, and then sighed again.

"So, " She said, clearly confused, "just what the hell is this about, Suzuka?"

"Haha, where do I start . . . ?" Suzuka considered it carefully, looked at her husband to be, and then smiled. "To tell the truth, its an arranged marriage, our parents set it up." It looked like Alisa would take another sip from her drink, but instead raised her fist, and then slammed it on the table.

"Just what century is this! Why did you agree to such a thing!" By this point, a few people started to stare, causing even more embarrassment for the trio. The blond quieted down a bit as a result. "So, spill it, what's all this?"

Suzuka nodded and went onto explain things. Renji's father was having business troubles; he was also an acquaintance with her father. After a few drinks, one of them suggested the idea; and after they were sober, decided to run it by the families, the idea of merging.

"I was against it at first, but, as I got to know Renji-kun, I, well . . . ." She was really embarrassed to say this to her best friend, but knew it had to come out. "Alisa-chan, I really do like Renji-kun, and it might seem odd to you, but I'm okay with marrying him. Even if it was arranged, it was left up to me, and this was my choice."

"But . . ." Alisa was frustrated, and wanted to knock some sense into her friend, but remained in her seat to prevent further stares. "You're only in high school, isn't it too early to think about that kind of thing?" Suzuka saw the concern on her friend's face, and smiled warmly.

"Thank you Alisa-chan, for thinking about me. Don't worry, the ceremony wont be held until after I graduate. Right now I really like Renji-kun, but if my feelings should change by then, I wont go through it; I'm serious, and so is Renji-kun; he's a wonderful man." At that, both Renji and Alisa blushed, looking at each other.

"W-Well," Alisa growled in his direction. "If this is really what you want, I'll support you, even though I don't like it. But," She pointed a finger at the man, "if you hurt her, I wont forgive you, got it!"

"Y-Yes, I understand!" He bowed a little, causing Suzuka to giggle. _This is just like getting permission from a father, _she thought, finding the scene so much more amusing by thinking that.

With the problem resolved, and Alisa (reluctantly) accepting the fact that her best friend would be getting married in a few years, the peace returned to the cafe, and the three of them went back to an awkward tea drinking session.

* * *

Hayate and Natsume sat on opposite sides of the semi-crippled girl's room. The former was reading a book, and the later was admiring her girlfriend with a puzzling smile.

"Say, Hayate."

"Yes, my dear?"

"I was just thinking . . . ." The redhead propped up from Hayate's bed, moving swiftly over to her. "Don't you feel it too?"

"Feel what, my dear?" The choco-haired girl said, lowering the book.

Natsume scratched her chin, thinking, but not quite reaching an answer.

"I'm not sure, but it feels like something interesting is going on, I just know it."

"I see." Hayate raised the book again, Natsume thought some more.

"Say, Hayate."

"Yes, my dear?"

"Do you ever feel like, you know . . . like a bunch of stuff is happening around you, and you're just a side character to it all?" Hayate lowered the book again, looking at Natsume more seriously this time.

"Hm? I wonder . . . ." And the book was raised again, and she continued reading.

"Say, Hayate."

"Yes, my dear?"

"Why aren't we making out right now?"

Hayate once more lowered the book, again looking seriously at Natsume.

"I wonder why . . . ."

The two stared at each other, it was quiet, almost as if the world had disappeared, and ceased to exist. Hayate made a motion to raise the book again, but it was snatched from her hands, and tossed across the room.

"Say, Hayate."

"Yes, my dear?"

"Shall we make out?" Hayate formed a smile on her face, wrapping her arms around the other girl's neck.

"I thought you'd never ask."

The two pulled together, beginning the first of what would be many kisses that lazy and boring day.

* * *

Fate and I were kissing again, a little more aggressively this time – more like a battle of tongues than kissing really - and it was really nice. Again, the perverted thoughts were flowing into my brain, and the heat radiating from that imagination was burning a hole between my legs, making me feel very embarrassed all of a sudden.

Fate was holding me tightly, it was really sweet, because I could also feel her fingers tremble as she did so; mine were too, but probably for a different reason.

After pulling apart for a short second to catch our breaths, we started again, becoming even more forceful. Finally, unable to take it anymore, I again moved my trembling hand to Fate's chest, squeezing her breast, causing her to squeal and repel from me.

"Sorry, Fate-chan, did it hurt?" She shook her head right away, her face flushing.

"I-I was just surprised. Nanoha, um . . . ." Her face got even hotter, and her lips trembled. "I-If you want to, t-then I . . . I don't mind . . . ." Now it was my turn to blush and tremble.

"A-Are you sure?" She nodded, letting out a light sigh.

"I-I want you . . . ah, this is embarrassing!" She started to panic, becoming fidgety; it was really cute.

"Fate-chan." I moved back in close to her, our lips nearly touching again. "I-I want to two . . . with Fate-chan . . . ."

It was an incredibly awkward moment in the time between her silence, and the nod that came after a while.

"T-Then, please be gentle . . . ." I nodded, gulping down a nervous breath. My fingers twitched and shook as I reached for her breasts again. I gave the one on the right a light squeeze, and Fate let out a soft sigh, and bit her lip afterward. Her face was completely red, and she looked a bit scared, but she didn't reject me, and allowed me to keep squeezing, allowing more of her strange breaths to come out, which were also cute.

After playing with her for a minute, I kissed her to calm her down. I also grabbed her hand, and pulled it to my chest; the longing and aching in my body became more powerful as she gave me the same treatment that I'd just given.

And in that short moment, the two of us finally reached second base.


	13. Chapter 13

_A/N: Oh me, oh my, this certainly took a long time. To be honest, I got stuck at this point. To be even more honest, I regret putting Subaru and Teana into this story, it should not have been done, but its too late to write them out now. This is why I've been taking so long, I've been looking for a way to use them, and now I found it. In any case, as a heads up, this is the second last chapter, and with the exception of the epilogue story I'll be doing after, this series will be coming to an end the next time we meet. After this series, I'm not sure what I'll do. I still have one more story that I'm working on (which I take my time to update every now and then), and after that, I don't know what will become of me. I want to start working seriously on my novel, so this may actually be the end of everything. In any case, enjoy this chapter, and prepare for the finale. _

_- Kode-Dekka_

* * *

**Lyrical Girls S**

**Chapter XIII**

* * *

Things have gotten weird again. I can feel someone watching me, when I'm at school, and sometimes on the way home. Somehow, it doesn't feel like a malicious gaze, and it always disappears before I can confirm it, but I was sure of it. Of course, it was starting to freak me out a little. I was so worried that I suddenly blurted out my worries to my friends, who looked at me with interest.

"What's this, you've got a stalker?" Natsume said, getting more excited than she should be. Hayate's eyes lit up as well; I knew I couldn't count on them.

"Are you sure someone's following you?" Suzuka said, looking worried.

"Hm?" I thought about it carefully. "I'm not sure, but it feels like someone is always watching me, at least, during the day." Fate clasped my hand, her serious expression was cute. "Don't worry Fate-chan, I'm probably just over thinking it."

"Even so," Alisa chimed in, "Just to be sure, do you want us to walk home with you?" I shook my head.

"I'll be fine. Besides, even if something happened, I'm confident with my speed." No one could argue that point; if it came down to it, I would run away with all my might.

"Well, if Nanoha-chan thinks it fine, then we shouldn't worry." After saying that, Natsume went back into her own world with Hayate.

That was the end of that. It was lunch, so we just ate in silence afterward.

* * *

The feeling of being watched increased on the way home. I was with Fate, but even so I worried a bit. As a result I practically crushed her fingers.

"Nanoha?"

"Nyahahaha, sorry, its nothing." Fate didn't buy it, and quickly assessed our surroundings. It seemed like she caught a glimpse of something, because she suddenly started pulling me forward. "Fate-chan, what is it?"

"I think you were right." I didn't resist anymore, and she pulled me into a park, where there were a few children playing, and their parents nearby. I understood right away. If we were in a public place, then whoever was watching me wouldn't act.

The two of us rested on one of the benches, still holding hands, though no one seemed to notice but me. We stayed there for a long time, and the presence eventually faded away. Everyone else had disappeared by now as well, but it was fine.

"Thank you, Fate-chan." I said out of the blue. "You're my little knight." I knew it was strange, what I said, but I didn't care. Fate blushed, but looked really happy.

"It was nothing; I'll always protect you, Nanoha."

"Nyahahaha . . . ." I scratched my cheek, embarrassed, squeezing her hand even tighter. Everything was really quiet, peaceful, it was a perfect moment. Naturally, the two of us looked at each other, and even more naturally, we leaned into each other and kissed in that park.

As our lips touched, I heard a bit of a cry. We turned out heads, in time to see a girl running away from the scene; she had short hair, and looked familiar. A name came to mind, and a face, an image of a clumsy girl.

_Ah, this isn't good, _I thought.

"That girl . . . ." It seemed Fate remembered as well, a girl named Subaru, one of my fans.

I didn't know what to do from here. If Subaru went and spilled the beans about my relationship with Fate, it could be bad. For now, I decided that we had been in this park long enough.

"Come on, Fate-chan, lets go back to my house." She nodded, and we left the park. As we did, an anxiety started to set inside me.

* * *

At school the next day, my worst fears were realized. All around me, whispers of my relationship with Fate cluttered the halls. Stares, fleeting glances, and questions, they surrounded me. I managed to wave them away, denying things for now, until I had time to clear my head.

During lunch, I traveled the halls with Fate and Natsume. We were meeting up with the others; and along the way, my eyes met Subaru and Teana's. The former looked away quickly, blushing, while the redhead stared at me, her glance had a trace amount of anger in them; but soon, she looked away as well.

Natsume leaned close to me, whispering in my ear. "That blue-haired girl was the one who spread the rumor right? Should I take care of her?" My spine chilled with I thought about what that could mean, considering Natsume's nature.

"No, I don't think we should jump to conclusions; she doesn't seem like that kind of person." Natsume looked disappointed, which was a bit chilling as well.

We passed by Subaru and Teana, who didn't say anything, and continued on their way as well.

When we met up with Alisa, Suzuka, and Hayate, my blond friend looked about ready to blow her top.

"Nanoha!" She cried, clenching her fists. "What is going on?" I shrunk from her anger, nervously laughing things off.

"I guess everyone kind of found out about us." I said, referring to Fate. Alisa's face became red and hot from her distaste at the situation.

"I hope you do something about this fast. Because of these rumors, everyone is getting strange ideas about Suzuka and me."

"I see . . . ." While I did find that somewhat amusing when I thought about Suzuka's situation, Alisa's expression right now made it clear that I shouldn't laugh. "All right, I'm thinking about what to do now."

There was only two options left now. I could keep denying the rumors until things died down. Alternatively, I could finally come out, and reveal everything. I was still unsure, I didn't know how things would turn out, so I wanted to think about it a little more.

Suddenly I felt a strange thing, like someone was staring at me. I turned my head, and saw Subaru in the distance near another group of students. She looked at me sorrowfully, apologetically. Instinctively I smiled at her, and she recoiled, running away.

_Ah, oh well . . . _

* * *

I found a note in my shoe locker after school. Quickly I opened it and read it.

"_Meet me at the track, I'll tell you everything."_

_Subaru_

I heard Fate's voice call out to me and I crumpled the note, stashing it in my bag as she approached by herself.

"Nanoha, what's that?" She looked at my bag, I shifted my eyes.

"N-Nothing. Sorry Fate, but I just remembered something, I need to meet with the captain. Go on without me." She looked like she wanted to inquired about my strange behavior, but let it go and nodded.

"Okay." I hugged her tightly when I saw that no one was around, and when I released her, she blushed and moved along. We waved to each other, and when she was out of sight, I made my way toward the school track.

No one was there when I got there. The track team was not practicing today, and what few students who usually gathered were gone by now. It was just me, alone.

_Where is she? _I would rather be with Fate at this moment, so to say the least, I was impatient, and wanted to get this over with.

"You really came." Her voice came from behind, and I twisted around, becoming surprised.

Teana stood there, looking somewhat scary.

"Why are you here?"

"Sorry, I tricked you, Nanoha-san." She sighed, taking a few steps toward me. "I was the one who wrote that note, I wanted to talk to you alone." She took more steps, and finally stopped, crossing her arms. Her eyes suddenly became very cold. "I . . . ." She glared at me, "Subaru didn't spread the rumors . . . ." She sighed again, her frightening gaze only became colder.

"It was me, I did it, Nanoha-san."


	14. Chapter 14

_A/N: This is it, we're finally at the end, after such a long time. This will be my first complete fanfic series, and perhaps my last. While there is still the epilogue story coming (which will be 3 chapters long, spanning various moments in time), I consider this the finale. It might seem like this story was short, or that it could have been more developed, and perhaps it could have. However, by this point, I've run a little out of steam, and by now I've milked all I can from the Nanohaverse. I'm not sure what will happen now, but I'll probably slowly update the other Nanoha story I have going, and then I will be done with this anime - unless of course another season comes along to spark my flame again. Anyway, I'll let you get to it; I hope this was a satisfying conclusion for you all, and I hope our paths cross again in the future. _

- Kode-Dekka

* * *

"_You raise me up so I can stand on mountains_

_You raise me up to walk on stormy seas_

_I am strong when I am on your shoulders_

_You raise me up to more than I can be . . . ."_

_- _Lena Park

* * *

**Lyrical Girls S**

**Final Chapter**

**Kode-Dekka**

* * *

I faced Teana, staring her down, holding my ground against her cold glare. My mind was in a frenzy, and I still didn't fully comprehend the situation I was in. I had something that I wanted to say to her, but only a single word came to my lips.

"Why?" She smiled a painful smile, her gaze becoming harder.

"Because you hurt Subaru, that's all."

"but I-"

"Even if you didn't mean to, even if it wasn't your fault, you still did, and I can't forgive you for it."

Flashes of yesterday came to mind; Subaru running away from the park where she caught Fate and I kissing. She liked me, and the truth hurt her, even though that wasn't my intention; in fact, besides our chance encounters, I barely paid the girl any mind, so it was something that was completely out of my hands.

But, even though I couldn't have foreseen this possibility, I still hurt Subaru in some way. Teana understood this as well, but that didn't quell her anger at all.

"You know, she really looked up to you, so much that it made me sick. I realize that her broken heart is not your fault, but still . . . when I saw her face, I couldn't stop myself from getting angry, because I . . . ." Teana rushed up to me, grabbing my collar, which surprised me. Her eyes were far more surprising though, she was on the verge of tears. "Why did it have to be you? Even though I was always looking at her, always watching over her; even though I was always there for her, why did she have to fall in love with someone like you?"

Her fingers trembled, her fists shaking as they clenched my shirt. Now I understood, the true reason that Teana was angry.

"I'm sorry." I said. I don't know what I was apologizing for, but I apologized regardless, because somewhere in my heart, I was being told to do so. "I'm sorry."

She loosened up her grip, backing away from me.

"This is the part of you I really hate. Even though I started those rumors, you're the one apologizing to me. Its so pathetic, its sickening."

"Nyahahaha, I guess I'm a little soft. Sorry."

Teana finally let go of me, and at that moment tears streamed down her face.

"I was always in love with Subaru, ever since we were kids. But she was never looking at me, even though I was the person who cared about her the most." She smiled, and let out a soft giggle. "The worst part is; when she had her heart broken, I thought for a second 'yes! Now I finally have a chance!'. I was thinking that if I comfort her, then maybe she would return my feelings. Isn't that horrible? She's my best friend, and yet I . . . . How am I supposed to face her now?"

I wanted to answer her, but something interrupted me, freezing me cold.

"Tea." Teana's eyes went wide and she turned around, finding Subaru come out from where she was hiding. The redhead gasped, panicking. She even stumbled over and fell; then she covered her face in shame. It was kind of pitiful, and it made my heart ache. The throbbing became worse as Subaru approached her friend, carrying a very sad expression on her face. She reached for Teana, but was rejected.

"Please, don't look at me, I, I . . . ."

"Tea." Subaru said her name again, a little more firmly. Teana's face peaked out at last. Her eyes were red, and her cheeks stained with tears. "I'm sorry, Tea. I didn't know. I should have realized how you felt all this time, I'm so stupid."

"I . . . I . . . ." As Teana started to crack even more, Subaru wrapped her arms around her.

"Thank you for caring about me, you're a good friend. We can talk about this later, but first . . . ."

Subaru looked at me, a few tears appeared in her eyes as well as she smiled. "Nanoha-san, tell me, are you really going out with Testarossa-san?"

I nodded. "We've been going out since Christmas, I love her. I'm sorry, Subaru-chan." She shook her head.

"All along, it was just a stupid crush. But still, I really admire you, I'm sorry that things became like this."

Teana looked out at me as well, her tears finally stopped. She looked a bit calmer now, perhaps a side effect of having been embraced. "I-I'm sorry too. You didn't deserve what I did to you, I'm sorry . . . ."

"Its all right, I guess love makes us kind of silly, nyahahaha." She nodded, and then buried her head into Subaru's chest. Everything seemed all right now. It was going to be a little awkward, but there was still something I had left to say. "You know, it might sound strange, but I was wondering . . . ." I scratched my cheek. "It might be weird considering, but I really want us to be friends, is that all right with you, Subaru-chan, Teana-chan?"

The two of them nodded. Teana released herself from Subaru, and got back to her feet. The two of them held hands, but there was nothing strange about it at all.

"Takamachi-san," Teana said, "I really am sorry I did this to you. What are you going to do now? Now that the rumors are around school, they wont leave you alone." That was the one thing I didn't really want to think about. I've been avoiding it for a while, but it was time to stop running. Knowing that, I finally had an answer.

"I'm going to come out. I can't hide my relationship forever, this is the last path left." The two of them looked concerned.

"If you do that, things might get crazy."

"Tea's right," Subaru looked the most worried. "There are a lot of girls that admire you more than me. They aren't very nice, so I'm not sure what will happen."

I knew that much. In the worst case scenario, some of those girls might start bullying Fate. Knowing her, she wouldn't tell me about it, and would keep the pain to herself. But I wouldn't allow that, I wont let anyone hurt my precious person.

"Its okay, everything will be fine; because, I'll protect Fate-chan, I wont let anyone get in our way."

With that I ended this terrible event.

"I'm sorry, but I have to go, she's waiting for me. Will you two be alright?" They nodded, smiling, though the both of them were still in pain, and would no doubt have a lot to talk about.

I nodded back at them. "Sorry, but I'll be going now, see you tomorrow." I waved at them and made a dash away from the track, toward the front gates of the school.

* * *

I was half expecting Fate to still be waiting for me when I got to the gates, but I wasn't prepared for this.

"Yo." Natsume gave me a grin. Everyone was there, even though school ended a while ago.

"What are you all still doing here?" Alisa sighed, shaking her head and pointing to Fate.

"She said she was worried about you, so we decided to wait for ya. So, what's happening?"

"A lot happened I guess, but its all over now." I grabbed Fate's hand and pulled her along. "Come on, I'll tell you guys on the way, lets go back to my house for some cake!" They were surprised, but just shrugged it off and started walking.

Along the way I told them everything; about the sad encounter with Teana and Subaru, and about my decision. Even though Fate looked worried, she agreed with me.

Tomorrow, I would destroy all the things holding me back from fully enjoying my relationship with Fate. Tomorrow, it was all going to end.

* * *

"You ready, Fate-chan?"

"Yeah."

I held Fate's hand tightly, our fingers interlaced into a loving embrace. We all stood outside the school gates, watching students walk by.

"Honestly," Alisa said with a huff, "this is only going to make things more noisy."

"True." Natsume added, grinning. "But doesn't that makes things more interesting? Right, Hayate?"

"That's correct, my dear." Alisa didn't look too happy about that, but a giggle from Suzuka broke through her grumpy mood.

"Fine, lets just get this over with."

"Right. Lets go, Fate-chan."

"Okay, Nanoha."

We entered the gates, and instantly, a group of girls rushed us, asking questions, bombarding us with more of their somewhat irritating interest in our personal lives. I spotted Subaru and Teana looking this way. They seemed a little awkward together, but smiled and shrugged their shoulders at us. I smiled back, and prepared myself for what I was about to do.

"Everyone!" I said, proud, confident. With strong hands I took Fate's shoulders, and pulled her toward me. Our blushing faces came close, and our lips collided. The cries from around us only became louder. I didn't care, because all that mattered was this kiss, this single moment with the person I loved. Nothing else mattered at all, because, right now, there was no school, no crowd of screaming girls. Right now, right here, the only thing that existed was Fate and I, and this kiss. And that's all that mattered, because right now, and from now on, Fate was with me.

And I was happy.

**Lyrical Girls **

**End. **


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